Part 41 - Imperator Galactica (III)

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Mitzner hadn't flown directly into an active gravity bubble since the war, and never in something as slow as a Foundation shuttle. It was a tricky move for even the best pilots, and given that her track record vis-a-vis crashing shuttles wasn't so hot lately she was determined to reassert her reputation.

She decided to take the bubble at the top of the shuttle's operational speed. She took the shuttle in low, too low to safely enter the bubble, then at the exact right moment brought the shuttle up in a curve. She entered the bubble near the top, still travelling upwards, which gave the tiny ship the maximum amount of time for it's gravity compensators to adjust.

The result was the appearance that the shuttle arced upwards, then suddenly dropped from the sky at high speeds, before slowing in the air and coming to a comfortable landing.

Dr. Kang's face was white. He was clinging to his seat even though he was secured there by safety belts and further protected by a crash bubble.

"Why didn't you just approach from the top like a sane person?" he demanded.

Mitzner decided to tell him the truth.

"Because combat AG bubbles have a much higher native gravity than this one."

She climbed out of the pilot's chair and opened the door to the shuttle. Mitzner jumped out of the shuttle, followed by McAfree. Dr. Kang took his time but followed them shortly thereafter.

The interior of the gravity bubble had been terraformed and was full of splendidly well-tended Earth-type greenery, but everything outside was barren. This made the boundary easy to guess. It looked to be a sphere with a radius of about half a kilometer.

They were in a grassy area that was being used as a makeshift stardock, in the sense that you can just declare any open area a stardock and park ships there. There were eight other small ships of various types, mostly highly decorative, parked here alongside the Vostok. Nothing interstellar though; these people have no way of leaving the system.

In the distance all around them they could see the palace complex, a series of buildings each an individual work of architecture art. There were dozens, maybe hundreds of them.

Much closer to them were a group of five praetorian guards, who met them at the shuttle. They wore metal helmets with elongated ends and lacquered with gold, long gold-colored cloaks, and carried halberds.

Halberds? thought Mitzner.

One of the guards, who was differentiated from the others by the plume of filthy dirt-brown feathers on his helmet, stood in front.

"His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of the Milky Way has decreed that it should be so that you follow us to the dining room with all haste and exigency," he announced

"See?" said Mitzner "Very formal. This all checks out."

The four regular guards formed a square around the guests by taking up positions at four corners. The dirty-feathered guard led the way. It was in this way that the guests were taken into the palace complex.

* * *

"It is the will of his Imperial Majesty, long my he reign, that no weapons be taken into the palace interior," announced another gold-clad guard standing beside the building entrance.

"By the authority of the Emperor you will now surrender any and all weapons before you will be granted entry," said his partner on the other side.

"I'm unarmed," said Dr. Kang.

"Me too," said McAfree.

"This might take a while," said Mitzner.

She detached the spring-loaders from her sleeves and slid out the ion pistols attached to them. She handed both to the first guard, who had to hold his halberd between his legs in order to accept them.

Next she reached under her skirt and removed a tiny pistol attached to a strap on her right knee, and a full-sized ion rifle she had attached to her left leg so that the skirt draped over it. She gave these to the other guard.

  "Almost done," said Mitzner.  

She reached behind her back and pulled out Lancelot. She gestured with it as she spoke.

"If you lose this gun I will track you down and I will kill you," she said as she handed it to the second guard.

Finally she unscrewed the gems from her earrings.

"Micro-grenades," she explained as she dropped them into the open hand of the first guard, who was already off balance from all the guns in his arms.

"Proceed," said the first guard, swaying back and forth, trying to keep balance with an armful of guns and a kneeful of halberd.

The group continued their way into the building and off towards the dining hall.

"Ion rifle, huh?" asked McAfree.

"It would have felt like a wasted opportunity if I wore a dress this big and didn't try," said Miztner.

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